And now, for the moment in Snively's life that some Sonic fans have been
waiting their whole lives for, at least since first seeing him. ^_-
---cut on this line---
Salvage or Scrap
Written by: Adrian Tymes
[Legal disclaimer:
This story is based on characters created by SEGA and DiC Productions, and
Bookshire Draftwood and Commander Packbell by David Pistone. Permission is
granted to freely distribute this story, so long as:
a: no recompense of financial value is received or given by the person who
distributes the story, and
b: the distributed copy is identical to the story as originally authored.
In other words, don't sell it, and don't alter it.
Copyright (c) 1998, all rights reserved, et cetera.]
******
The Federation of Southern Mobius had not been very neat in its evacuation.
Sonic insisted that the parts they left behind were a deliberate, though
officially deniable, attempt to support the Freedom Fighters. Antoine insisted,
with equal vigor, that the FSM was merely sloppy. Either way, when the Freedom
Fighters saw the last FSM transport take off for home, and realized that a lot
of metal was still in the area, Sally immediately ordered everyone to salvage
what they could and get it back to Knothole before Packbell arrived.
While many of the parts were readily identifiable - lasers, grenades, a
substance designed to placate the FSM soldiers' stomachs (a label bestowed by
Antoine after tasting it, since he claimed that "food" in no way described the
stuff), and so forth - there were enough intact devices that no one in Knothole
had even heard of that Rotor and Bookshire spent the next several days trying to
fully identify the haul. Sally had insisted that those Freedom Fighters going
on raids know how to use Packbell's equipment, but few of the Freedom Fighters
had ever actually held a laser before: the only local source of weapons put
inextricable tracers in all of its products, and bringing one of these tracers
into Knothole, or even into a central armory where sudden movements of tracers
might give away an upcoming raid, was generally viewed as a Bad Idea. The FSM's
weapons, however, were tracer-free, and their power cells had adapters to grab
recharges from Robotropolis's power sockets. Although Sally cautioned against
substituting firepower for intelligence, especially since Packbell had much more
experience in directing firefights, her smile was the widest of anyone's in
Knothole when she heard the final tally of normal weapons.
Knothole had shifted to a more peaceful state during Sonic's and Tails' trip,
having stopped raiding Robotropolis while awaiting its heroes' return. Despite
the FSM's interruption, the villagers were quite willing to use the
incorporation of FSM gear as an excuse to extend the peace for a few more days.
Even Sonic, usually hyped for action, was willing to kick back and relax briefly
when everyone else was doing so.
Antoine, on the other hand, had been taking things easy with the rest of
Knothole, and was now starting to feel bored. His uniforms were spotless, there
was only so much dusting he could do, and most of Knothole seemed to prefer the
FSM's substance to his cooking...which Antoine ascribed to a brief, passing
flirtation with exotic cuisine, even if it did mean his usual job as Knothole's
chief chef currently involved a lot less work. He had even put together a
holster to wear opposite his sword's scabbard, in anticipation of convincing
Sally that, as one of the few in Knothole to have any pre-Robotnik experience
with weapons, he should be allotted one of the FSM's laser pistols.
"I was afraid you'd say that," was not the response he was expecting. But it
was what he got.
"Afraid? What for, my prinzess? Ahm I not therefore uniquely qualified to
handle theze weapons?" He frowned. "Do you think I can not responsible the
handibility?"
Sally sighed, then smiled. "It IS a responsibility, Antoine...and I'm glad I
didn't have to point that out to you. Don't get me wrong: I'm sure you can
handle it in combat, at least well enough not to shoot us. That's not what I'm
afraid of."
"Then, what ees your concern, prinzess?"
"It's just that...well...ok, try this. I will let you have a pistol, *IF* you
promise only to have it on you when you are going to or coming from some place
you intend to fire it, like Robotropolis. Your pistol will stay locked in your
hut at all other times, and you will only let others cleared to carry a laser
touch yours."
Antoine mulled this over, then shrugged. "As you wish. But, might I ask why?"
"I'm worried about the children here. What if some child sneaks up on you,
pulls your gun, and fires? I've seen you in action, so I know you could get
your sword back before any serious harm was done if that happened to it, but you
won't have as much time with a pistol. By the time you turn around and see the
kid..." Sally made an imitation firing gesture, pointing at Antoine's forehead.
"You, or the child, could be dead just like that. I don't want to have to lay
awake at night, worrying about that possibility." She smiled again. "I've got
enough to worry about as it is. Just so you know, Antoine, I'm not singling you
out here. I'll ask the same of almost everyone else I give one of these to,
with a few exceptions...like Rotor, since he'll probably want to test these
weapons and come up with improvements. I haven't even given Sonic a weapon yet,
although that's partly because he hasn't asked yet...and I hope he won't. I'd
hate to have to tell him 'no'."
Antoine raised an eyebrow. "You would refuse Soneec?"
"Well, first, it'd be a waste of resources. As good as he is without a laser, I
don't think giving him one would do any good. Second...well, second, I don't
know if I could trust him to keep his word on this. I mean, he wouldn't hand
his laser over to most Mobians..."
"...but he would to Tails," Antoine completed.
"Exactly," Sally sighed.
"And, might I ask what you are intending to say if Tails is asking for one?"
Sally opened her mouth to reply automatically, but the words took many seconds
to form as Antoine's question sunk in. "You're...kidding, right? Tails?"
"Ah am kidding, wrong. From what I have seen of him, ze cub is more zan capable
of handling zis responsibility. In fact, if I might be so bold, he would be ze
perfect choice: small, fast, sneaky..."
Slowly, a third smile came to Sally's face. "Sneaky enough to ask you to ask me
for him?"
Antoine returned Sally's expression. "Whatever are you talking about?"
Sally shook her head. "I can see I'll have to talk to him about this. Later,
when I have time." She gestured to a pile of FSM weapons. "Take whichever one
you want, and tell me the serial number. Stay away from the rifles, though:
you're experienced with your sword, and I'd hate to keep you from using it just
because your other weapon requires two hands."
Antoine nodded, picked up a likely looking pistol, and read its number off.
After double-checking to make sure Sally marked the right one as his, he set off
for a secluded spot that he could use to test the weapon. Although he was
tempted to show off his new acquisition, a promise was a promise: once he made
sure the pistol worked and got used to aiming it, the weapon would go straight
back to his hut, never to see the light of day again until the next time the
Freedom Fighters assaulted Robotropolis by daylight.
******
"Hey, Rotor, I found a label on this one."
Rotor's head popped up from a pile of electronic junk. At first glance, it
looked like someone had unwittingly opened his closet again, but the closet door
was shut. The gadgets and gizmos that had buried his body this time were all
new to Knothole, courtesy of the FSM. "What's it say?"
"Na...no...formers." Tails looked at Rotor. "What's that mean?"
Rotor blinked in surprise, then began quickly digging himself out of the pile.
"Don't touch it!" When he had accepted Tails' offer to help, he knew that some
of the FSM's devices would be dangerous, but not to the point where an unknowing
nudge in the right place could demolish Knothole. Rotor briefly reconsidered
whether he wanted Tails' help after all...
"Don't worry. I think it's broken."
Rotor examined the plain metal box Tails had been looking at, and relaxed when
he saw that a control panel had fallen off of one side.
Bookshire hobbled in. "Did Tails just mention what I think he mentioned?"
"If you mean something worse than Doomsday..." Rotor nodded.
Tails blinked. "What is it?"
Bookshire gently nudged Tails away to give Rotor more room. "They, Tails, are
bunch of small probes, which reshape everything in a certain radius at the
atomic level. Nanoformers were designed to clean up hazardous waste dumps,
transforming them into virtual paradises. But they also make a great way to
level a city. There's no known defense against them. If that box had been
activated here, Knothole - and everyone inside - would cease to exist. The FSM
probably intended to use them to wipe out Robotropolis if things turned bad."
"Hmm...Aunt Sally mentioned them once before..."
"Robotnik used them to turn Mobitropolis into Robotropolis, after poisoning
every plant in the city first. At the time, he thought living things could
fight off the probes. If he'd known otherwise before we destroyed his records
of how to make them, he could have made Robotropolis cover all of Mobius in just
a few days."
Rotor dug in to the pile. "No way can we leave them lying around. I've got
some acid that'll destroy them, but you two might want to get out of here before
I use it: it stinks up the place big time for an hour or so." Pulling what
looked like the back half of a helmet out, he added, "Tails, why don't you show
this to Antoine? I remember seeing something like it used by the Royal Guards.
Antoine wanted to be a guard when he grew up, before Robotnik, so maybe he'll
know what this is."
******
Antoine examined the target carefully. His shot, from the other side of the
garden, had drilled a hole straight through the bullseye.
Too bad he had been aiming for the one five meters to its right.
He sighed, and walked back to the far end of the impromptu firing range, his
steps crunching the light coat of early winter snow that had fallen that
morning. The garden's autumn crops had been harvested, and this particular
patch was useless for the few foods that grew in the winter. In winters past,
this ground had been a favored spot for snow fights and winter festivals, but
for now, the open ground and lack of anything valuable nearby made a perfect
firing range.
"Nice shot."
Antoine frowned, but mentally stumbled for the words. "Go...be stuffied,
Kenal."
"Whoa! That's a new word for you."
Antoine turned to face Kenal, who was waiting behind the far end of the garden.
"Just because you have yet to miss, where as I have become somewhat rusty, ees
no reason to gloat."
"So who says I've been shooting?"
"To mah knowledge, ah was ze only one yet issued a laser. Yet I found you
waiting here, and zere were marks at ze center of each target. You may not be
carrying your weapon now, but..."
"Sally was practicing earlier. If I didn't know better, I'd say those lasers
were made for her, and she for them. The routine she was using would've put our
assassins to shame."
"Sally? Well...perhaps zat ees being believable." Antoine placed his feet in
the imprints his boots had worn in the snow during his last round of firing, and
started aiming. "So, tell me, have you had any more of your nightmares
recently?"
Kenal took a second to decide whether to take that as an insult or not. "No.
Why?"
"Ah was just being curious. Ze FSM must have seemed reminiscent of..."
"That's in the past!" Kenal snapped. "I don't have to worry about it any more.
I am NOT a workerbot now!"
"Even..." Antoine tapped his head.
Kenal's eyes widened, then shrank to small points. "Who told you?" His voice
was almost as cold as the snow.
"Eet ees not public knowledge? Bunnie seemed to think eet was. She told me
just after recovering from her encounter with Snively. Do not be worrying: ah
was polite enough nevair to bring it up in conversation."
"Bunnie...why am I not surprised?"
"Even so, eet ees too bad ze computair can not simply be deactivated, no?"
"No...err, yes, right. Believe me, I've tried to find a way. But I can't...not
without losing a part of myself."
"Hi, Kenal! Hi, Antoine!" Tails called as he hovered into view.
"'Allo, Tails. Ah asked Sally, but..." Antoine grimaced.
Tails landed, watching the ground longer than was necessary. "I thought so.
Thanks for trying anyway."
"Eet was not a total failure. She ees willing to at least discuss ze topic with
you. Do not give up, young fox; you may yet succeed."
Tails looked up. "You really think so?"
"You have far to go to prove to her you are grown up, but ah believe you are
more zan capable."
"Thanks, Antoine." He presented the half-helmet he was carrying. "Rotor asked
me to show you this. He said he'd seen the Royal Guards using it, and thought
you might recognize it."
Antoine took the curved metal, and scrutinized it closely. "Hmm...yes, ah do
believe he was right. Eet was a field cyberdeck."
"A field deck of what?"
"No, no, a field cyberdeck, as in, a cyberdeck used in ze field." He looked at
Kenal. "And ah believe it may hold ze solution for your problem."
Tails scratched his head. "What's a cyberdeck?"
"Ask me later," Kenal called as he and Antoine began fiddling with the helmet.
"If Antoine means what I think he means, we're going to be busy for the next
couple hours, and I'd rather show you than tell you." He smiled. "You're going
to like this. Trust me."
******
Sonic let the familiar polluted breeze of Robotropolis smog blow through his
quills. Although he was supposed to be doing nothing, there was only so much
nothing he could do without becoming totally bored. He knew Sally would be
furious if he took off without checking in first, but even Sally could not argue
when he pointed out that the recent lack of missions had left the Freedom
Fighters without current recon data on Robotropolis. Sally had let him go
alone, but only on the condition that he avoid any fights...which was no problem
for Sonic at the moment, as it gave him an excuse to run rings around and
through Robotropolis without slowing down to take anything out. He was
deliberately being nothing more than an annoyance at the moment, and even
Packbell knew it. At least, Sonic assumed that was why the SWATbots did nothing
more than watch him pass, as long as he did not get too close to any of them,
and why Packbell had not activated Robotropolis's shield to keep the hedgehog
out.
Finally, in a random street, Sonic let himself slow to a halt. "Yo, bot brains!
Aren't any of you gonna chase me? Remember, 'hedgehog, priority one' and all
that?"
"Why should they bother?" Packbell's voice came back. "I admit, they could not
catch you. Besides, if you want a fight, just stick around for about...oh,
fifty-eight seconds."
"Wha? Ok, Packbreath, what's your plan?"
"You remember those giant machines Robotnik used to send after you?"
"The ones I kept trashin' without breaking a sweat?"
"The same. For the one who created me, Robotnik failed miserably when creating
their AIs."
"AIs? He piloted most of them himself. They didn't have any bot brains...
unless Robotnik really was a bot."
"Like I said, he failed miserably. He kept falling into patterns, which you
used to defeat him time and again."
"So, what, now you're gonna pilot one against me? Bring it on."
"Don't act so naive, hedgehog. If I did, there is a chance...a very small
chance, but still a chance...that you might destroy it and me. If I piloted it
remotely, your friends' new jammers could cut me off from it. Don't think I
haven't noticed whole sections of Robotropolis briefly disappearing from radio
contact recently. No, I needed an intelligence...a bot brain, if you will..."
"And if I won't?"
Packbell ignored the jibe. "...smart enough that I might not be able to fully
control it. It had to already want you dead. While I could certainly create a
copy of myself, the copy would challenge me for control once you were
eliminated. Creating a duller intelligence, but one which would still give you
problems, turned out to be quite a challenge...until I found one. Oh, time's
up. If you would kindly move to your right about fifty meters, my new toy won't
have to go far to crush you."
"No wa-" An earthquake cut Sonic off. Looking to his right, Sonic saw a cloud
of dust rise up as something tore its way out of the ground.
"I had to carve out a cave to remake him. It was cheaper than building the
facilities above ground, even if it does mean I lose a few warehouses now that
he's making an entrance. No matter: with you dead, I'll have all the time I
want to rebuild."
"What do you mean, 'him'?"
"You don't recognize him?" Packbell seemed to deliberately ignore the fact that
metal was only now glinting through the dust cloud, as a giant hand reached up
out of a vast underground pit. "Meet Mecha-"
"Snively!" Sonic craned his neck up to watch Mecha-Snively's head rise. When
the new robot's feet finally stood on the ground, Mecha-Snively was as tall as
the egg-shaped command center Robotnik had used, before Sonic and Sally trashed
it while trashing him. Although Mecha-Snively had mostly the same proportions
as Snively, the arms and legs seemed to have been bulked up to store extra-large
motors.
Robotropolis's shield faded into existence, only visible to organic eyes as a
faint shimmer.
"That really is him, inside. Or, rather, what's left of him. Roboticization
would have driven out his creative spark, so I had to resort to surgery to
implant an interface between his brain and his new body. No anesthetics, of
course; the pain knocked him out quite nicely."
Sonic sized up his new opponent. "So, what's his trick? Lemme guess, he shoots
that needle nose of his and grows another?"
"He has no need of weapons. You'd just dodge. All he has, is what you see."
"Oh, come on. I can outrun him any-"
Mecha-Snively's foot barely missed stepping on Sonic.
"Oh, did I mention he can run as fast as you? Or that the rest of him is just
as fast?"
"We'll just see about that." And Sonic did.
******
"ANTOINE!" Tails called. "Where are you? There's an emergen-"
The kitsune skidded to a halt inside the firing range's clearing. Mecha-Snively
was large enough to be seen from Knothole's highest lookout posts, and word had
quickly spread throughout Knothole of another giant robot in Robotropolis. With
confidence boosted by the FSM weaponry, Sally had decided to organize a
preemptive strike to take it down before Packbell could use it, fully aware that
Sonic was already in the area and, despite her orders, probably already
attacking it. Tails had been sent to retrieve Antoine and Kenal, when he
mentioned that he had last seen them together.
"Que, mon ami?"
Antoine was sprawled on his back, eyes wide open and vacant. The helmet was on
his head, with wires trailing to rest loosely on Kenal's head.
Tails had seen the griffin sunbathing before, but Kenal's current posture seemed
like a parody of that. He was on his back, with legs, wings, and tail stretched
out, but his claws were extended. From the way Kenal's legs were trashing, it
almost looked as if he were defending himself from something.
"Mon...ami?"
And Tails had never heard Kenal speak like Antoine before.
Slowly, Tails backed out of the hut, quickly crossing off names of those he knew
could handle problems. Sally and Rotor were probably already en route to
Robotropolis, and most of the others would have no clue what to do about the
helmet that looked like it had caused this...
"BOOKSHIRE!" Tails called. "Where are you? There's an emergency!"
******
Dulcy settled down just outside Robotropolis, unloading the latest set of
passengers. In all, fourteen Freedom Fighters were assembled, each one carrying
the heaviest FSM weapon they could handle.
Most of those present were keeping track of the action, somewhat fascinated by
Mecha-Snively's utter disregard for Robotropolis, and Sonic's use of the same.
Already, three quarters of Robotropolis had been demolished as Sonic lead Mecha-
Snively through building after building, letting the rock and metal slow his
larger adversary down.
"Why aren't we attacking?"
Sally looked up from Nicole. "Sonic's doing ok for the moment. Packbell's
evacuated everything critical - including all the workerbots - to the city core.
Sonic can't get too close because the SWATbots there can slow him down enough
for that robot to catch up. But he can't get out because their shield is up."
As Sally explained, Sonic ran up the shield from the inside, gravity pulling him
off just in time to slice another tear in Mecha-Snively's armor. Although
Mecha-Snively was covered by many similar scars, they did not seem to bother
him. "I'm trying to figure out a way to deactivate the shield. If we can,
we'll strike when they run out of city to wreck. Where's Antoine and Kenal?"
Dulcy shrugged. "I sent Tails to find them. When he didn't come back, I left
without him. Want me to go back?"
Sally looked up. "No. We've got enough, and we'll need you here if Packbell
lowers the shield and it turns out that thing can fly. I just hope Tails
doesn't use that as an excuse to carry Antoine here."
"He isn't strong enough to carry people at top speed...is he?"
******
Bookshire opened his eyes as the wind faded. He had not traveled at any great
speed since his last ride on the Sonic Express, and was impressed that Tails
could lift him. The fox still looked young, but Bookshire guessed he must have
had opportunities to work out while Bookshire was not looking. Then again, just
racing Sonic all the way to the FSM and back would count, and knowing those two,
the odds of that not having happened were slim.
"So, what's this emergency?"
Tails was panting too hard to speak, so he gestured and Kenal and Antoine as a
reply.
Bookshire leaned close, examining the wires that connected them.
"They said...something about...a cyberdeck..." Tails gasped between breaths.
Bookshire's eyebrows raised in surprise. "A cyberdeck? Are you sure?"
"Yes. What's...a cyber...deck?"
"A device that connects one's mind directly to a computer. It looks like
Antoine tried to connect himself to Kenal's...oh my."
"Is that...why they're like that? Can't we just...unplug them?"
"No. No, if we tried that, there's a good chance they would not survive. The
only way is to go in ourselves." He knelt next to the helmet. "Fortunately,
this one was set to allow group sessions. There's extra connections right
here."
"Go in?" Tails looked at the two. "Go where?"
"Into their minds. Something must have gone wrong when Antoine tried to access
Kenal's computer. I'm not sure if we can fix it or not, but assuming we can,
then going in is the only way." Bookshire pulled two cables out of the helmet,
the ends of which unfolded into small, dense nets. "I know you want to go, but
keep in mind: we could easily die just by stepping in to whatever they're in."
"I don't have a choice."
"Yes, you do. We leave them like this, and they would eventually die."
Tails shrugged. "Like I said, I don't have a choice. I don't let my friends
die if there's a chance I can save them. I'm in."
Bookshire nodded, then arranged the net on Tails' head. "You take after Sally
and Sonic, perhaps a bit too much. Now, you may feel some disorien-"
...realitydissolvedintoabrokenvidscreenthathewasmovingthroughbutnotknowinghowand
itdumpedhimintospacesovasthecouldnotevenseehishomebuthedidseearacoonspeeding
towardshimsaysomethingabout...
"PAUSE!"
Tails could not move, but the sense of *speed* he had just felt also vanished,
as his brain began to re-establish a perspective on where he was. His stomach
registered upset at the sensory overload, but only a mild amount.
"Sorry about that." Bookshire seemed younger, flatter...almost a robot parody
of himself, but colored correctly and moving smoother than any workerbot.
"Welcome to cyberspace."
Tails tried to reply, but neither his vocal cords nor his mouth responded.
"Everything you see, hear, and touch here is a computer-generated representation
of data, programs, systems, or another user - like you or me. It takes a few
seconds to get used to this place. Just take everything slow for the moment,
and follow my lead." A microphone appeared out of nowhere in his hands.
"RESUME!"
...eventhoughnothinghappenedhecouldFEELtherawspeedrushingthroughhimjustlikewhen
heracedSonic...
...just like when he raced Sonic...
His mind sped up at the memory, and suddenly, the raw influx of sensory stimuli
made *sense* again, rather than overloading him. He clutched at his stomach,
waiting for the nausea to pass, but something did not seem right.
"Ah, that's more like it. Feeling better, Tails?"
"Yeah...I think so. Is THIS what Kenal wanted to show me?"
"Kenal? Hmm...I think he might have, at that. But not in the way you are
about to see. Cyberspace was meant to be an interface between Mobians and
computers, to allow us to more easily parse and interact with data. Kenal's
computer was never meant to interface with cyberspace as a computer, as far as I
know. It was only supposed to be another user, an interface between Kenal and
Robotropolis. I don't know what Antoine could have triggered by using it this
way. Be prepared for anything."
Tails reached out to take Bookshire's hand...and realized that he had no hands.
Or arms, or legs, or torso. To the best of his knowledge, he was a floating
head.
"Everything here is controlled by the mind. Imagine yourself in your body, for
instance."
Although an unusual request, Tails soon complied, and suddenly felt his body as
his sensation of touch returned.
"Now, don't get too cocky with that. Everything has to map to a computer
action, and you may have to figure part of that action out before you can will
it to happen. Cyberdecks were designed to do as much as they can for you, but
they have their limits."
"Right. So, what do we do now? Just will ourselves to see Ant-"
Bookshire disappeared, as did the emptiness. In their place was a room Tails
had seen many times before, but even once was too often for him: a roboticizer.
At its controls, Antoine mechanically tapped a button as a series of griffins
were marched through, each one being roboticized when it entered the machine,
and leaving in a monotonously precise line without prompting. Tails could
almost make out the griffins' faces...and, with a start, he realized that his
friends' faces had been pasted on to the griffins.
Just as suddenly, Antoine was soaring over the plains near Home, with Tails
still looking on like a spybot. Antoine ducked and swerved to keep out of
sight, then popped over a ridge to find himself face to face with a much larger
griffin...
...Antoine knelt on all fours at Snively's side as they watched a village burn,
from the cockpit of a hoverbot that was shooting down fleeing survivors.
Snively stroked Antoine's back, and Antoine purred...
...Antoine assembled what could only be a cyberspace model of an unidentifiable
weapon, altering various aspects with a thought and quickly testing the virtual
prototype, and Tails could feel Antoine enjoying his work...
"ANTOINE!"
The background disappeared, leaving only Tails and a metallic Antoine. "Error:
subject indicate this unit, yet 'Antoine' not identity of this unit...error:
'Antoine' not on former identity list, 'Antoine' on former identity list,
'Antoine'...error...error..." Belatedly, Tails realized Antoine was speaking
with Kenal's voice.
Tails grabbed hold of Antoine's wrist. "Snap out of it, Antoine!"
"...error...error..."
Tails released Antoine, then concentrated. "Well, this worked with Uncle
Chuck..." A moment's thought produced a power ring, which Tails tossed at
Antoine.
"...err-" Antoine caught it in his mouth.
Seeing nothing happen immediately, Tails wished he could just deroboticize Ant-
The floating head of Antoine blinked in surprise.
"PAUSE!" Bookshire rushed in out of nowhere, microphone in hand. "Geez, Tails,
don't leave me behind like that."
Tails blinked. "Did I just...?"
Bookshire donned a set of sunglasses and looked at Antoine. Tails thought he
saw flashes of light coming from the back of the glasses, almost like a display
for Bookshire only, but Bookshire removed them before Tails could be sure. "I
can't see anything abnormal. RESUME!"
Antoine's head whirled in every direction for a few seconds, before Tails caught
it and pointed it at Bookshire.
Bookshire pocketed his sunglasses and microphone. "Antoine, just what did you
think you were doing?"
"Mmm...mmm..." At least his whining was in his voice, even if it was
incomprehensible.
"Calm down, Antoine. Just say it slowly."
"AhwantedtofreeKenalfromhisimplantbuthiscomputairattackedmefirst..."
Bookshire shook his head and retrieved his microphone. "LOG OUT!"
Antoine vanished.
"It takes time to adjust to the speed of cyberspace. You're used to something
like it from racing Sonic, but it seems Antoine would need more time than we can
afford right now."
"What is that?" Tails gestured to the microphone.
"This cyberdeck was designed for military use, so it has programs intended for
use against other users. They make it easier to do what they're designed to do,
since you don't have to think as much to get a result. This is their icon...the
way you invoke them. It was just lying near Antoine, so I picked it up as soon
as I got here. Just name the program while thinking of the target."
"Can I give it a try?"
"Sure. COPY!" A second microphone appeared in Tails' hand. "Actually, you
should probably try it out now, but not on me, please. If Kenal's computer
*did* attack Antoine..."
An ear-piercing roar gave them just enough warning to dive away from each other
before the Mobian-sized paw of a metal griffin swiped through. When they looked
back, Tails and Bookshire saw they were floating above a plain cobbled together
from Home's surface, Robotropolis, and Knothole. "Go away, outsiders. This is
*MY* domain." It was Kenal's voice, but somehow tinged with both anger and the
monotony of a workerbot's voice.
Tails frowned. "It sure doesn't talk like a computer."
The griffin chuckled. "I am not just a computer. I am Kenal as he was before,
both the one before you and the one before Snively. I am the Kenal who despised
outsiders as all griffins do. I am the hatred that made him enjoy ridding the
world of all who would oppose us. I am everything the Kenal you knew wishes to
bury in the past. He never told you that much about what he used to be. Home,
yes. Robotropolis, yes. Those around him, yes. But. Not. HIM. Because he's
ashamed of me. And I'm ashamed of him. Is it any wonder I feed him nightmares
when I can? He should be King by now, but no...all that heritage, all his past,
and he lives with you. By choice." He sneered. "Pathetic. When that fool
friend of his...Antoine, was it?...accidentally freed me so he could see what
Kenal fled, I obliged him...then I took over."
"Where's Kenal?!?"
"Right where he left me." He gestured to a tiny cage in the middle of the
plain. Kenal barely fit inside, and a liberal amount of shackles prevented any
chance of escape, or even plain mobility. "It's only a matter of time until I
figure out how to wake this body up...and then, I'm out of here. You can not
fight me like this if I remove the connection."
"You're right...LOG OUT!"
The griffin chuckled as Tails slowly removed the microphone from his lips. "You
can not get rid of me so easily. I *am* this place, not just someone in this
place."
"PAUSE!"
"Oh, please. Have any other tricks?"
"Yeah," Bookshire yelled. "ALTER!"
The griffin looked up as Bookshire's representation changed into a dragon. "Ah,
now that I can respect. You wish to fight...and, given the futility of
attacking me in my own mind, to die. If you insist, I suppose I can oblige."
Almost listlessly, the griffin swiped at Bookshire.
Tails dashed for the cage as Bookshire engaged the griffin.
"Ah ah aaa..." A second metal griffin landed between the cage and him. "Nice
try...NOT!"
"AL-"
Tails' griffin batted the microphone away. "No, morsel. You are, perhaps,
worse than him. You actually guided and encouraged Kenal at Knothole, more than
anyone else. You will die quickly."
Tails bolted for the microphone, but a massive paw blocked his path.
"No programs for you," the griffin taunted. "Just death."
Tails stared at the paw, backing away in fear...then he remembered Bookshire's
explanation of his surroundings. He closed his eyes and concentrated...
A single claw cut him in half. Then in quarters. Then in eighths. It kept
slicing, faster and faster, until Tails was a cloud of expanding dust.
"TAILS!" Bookshire's surprise let his griffin pin him to the ground, and raise
a paw to strike at his heart.
The dust motes hummed, and grew. Each speck of dust slowly expanded to become
another kitsune.
Bookshire's griffin paused as Tails' griffin instinctively backed away slowly,
then charged, demolishing one Tails after another in rapid succession.
The kitsunes pointed at Kenal. Kenal's cage and restraints disappeared.
Both metal griffins turned to look, and then there was only one griffin, facing
Kenal. One paw lashed out at the real griffin...
...only to be stopped by Kenal's much tinier paw.
The metal griffin tried to remove its paw from Kenal's, but had no success as
Kenal began chanting. Before long, green energy poured from all over the metal
griffin's body, sliding along its arm and paw into Kenal. There was no color
changing, as this victim was already the same shade of gray that the dust would
be, but its collapse into a pile of dust was sudden, as if it had abruptly given
up.
The remaining Tails fused into one. "Kenal?"
"Yes. Thank you, my friends. Antoine freed what I had kept locked away. I
see that that was a mistake; it lead to my nightmares. It's still here, but it
will never...*can* never be in control again. It is too incoherent for that,
now."
With a whisper into his microphone, Bookshire's form shifted back to something
resembling himself. "Was that really you?"
"It *was*. It will never be again, unless Packbell wins. Thanks for finding
us when you did."
Tails flexed his hand, curiously watching and guiding it as it detached from his
body. "Actually, I was sent to find you. There's a giant Snively-shaped robot
in Robotropolis, and..."
"WHAT?"
Before Tails could continue, "DISCONNECTED, LOGGING OUT - TOTAL TIME: 0:01"
flashed briefly in his vision, then reality faded back in. As he groggily stood
up, he thought he saw Kenal flying swiftly into the forest.
******
Sally groaned in frustration as the last of Robotropolis, outside the guarded
core, fell to Mecha-Snively. "I can't find the shield's frequency!"
Rotor snapped his fingers. "Maybe you won't have to. Packbell's shield was
one-way only last time. Anything could get out, but nothing could get in. If
he just reversed it..." Rotor picked up a stone and tossed it at the shield...
...and watched it sail through, unimpeded.
Sally's anger vanished. "Everyone, stay out of the shield. As long as we're
out here, that robot can't harm us. Fire at or above the chest; that way, you
won't hit Sonic by accident. FIRE!"
At Sally's command, a constant flurry of laser bolts sprang from their position,
impacting all over Mecha-Snively's upper body. Kenal soared in from the forest
as the shots began finding their mark.
Aside from Kenal, Sally was the only one not firing. Instead, she was
monitoring Nicole's readouts, relying on her computer to analyze what was too
far away to examine with just her eyes. Dots of red appeared on a schematic of
Mecha-Snively on Nicole's display, along with yellow blobs denoting critical
areas. "It's working! Concentrate fire on the chest - whatever's controlling
that seems to be there."
Kenal frowned. "'Whatever's controlling that'? Sally, the only reason that
Packbell would make a robot shaped like Snively is if..."
Sally sighed. "I know."
"You'll kill him!"
Sally looked Kenal directly in the eyes. "It's him or Sonic. I'm not sure
Packbell would let him live if he lost anyway...or if I could, if we caught
him."
Wordlessly, Kenal flew through the shield, making a beeline for Mecha-Snively.
The Freedom Fighters' lasers stopped.
"What are you waiting for? KEEP FIRING!"
Rotor lowered his weapon. "But, Sally...we might hit Kenal."
"You think I don't know that? If we can take out that robot before Kenal gets
there, he won't be risking his life. Try to miss him. But KEEP FIRING!" She
grabbed Rotor's rifle, set it to automatic, and squeezed the trigger.
One by one, the other Freedom Fighters' streams of fire joined Sally's, raining
heat and destructive energy on Mecha-Snively.
******
Sonic dodged another swipe from Mecha-Snively's right hand, rewarding the robot
with a gash through the wrist as Sonic reversed course. In mid-jump, he risked
a glance at Mecha-Snively. Sonic smiled when he saw that the lasers were
blasting away small pieces of the robot, gradually and erratically carving a
path towards the center of the chest. This damage did not slow or distract
Mecha-Snively in the least; Sonic mused that Snively was now just trying to make
hedgehog pancake before dying himself. Sonic began running circles near the
Freedom Fighters, trying to keep Mecha-Snively in their range to hasten the
robot's demise.
Sonic never saw Kenal enter Mecha-Snively.
******
Sally noticed the display on Nicole register another heat source inside the
robot. There was only one possible explanation: Kenal had arrived.
Now, the choice was not between Snively and Sonic. She knew what that decision
would have been even when Robotnik was still around. Now, she had to choose
between two Freedom Fighters...two of her friends. One would live, the other
would die.
Every time she had planned a mission, she desperately tried to avoid situations
like this. Many of her nightmares involved her choosing which of her friends
would live free, and which would either be roboticized or dead. Fortunately, on
every one of her missions, she was able to avoid deliberately losing anyone.
That it was only accidents and oversights, not deliberate actions on her part,
that caused her friends to fall to Robotnik and company only took a bit of the
sting out of losing them, but it was one of the few things that she clung to in
order to distinguish herself from Robotnik: she did not deliberately eliminate
her own forces.
Now, the choice was forced. She had two choices, and either way, she would
condemn a friend to death. Justifications offered themselves freely...Kenal
risked his own life to save someone who had actively helped Robotnik conquer
Mobius, this robot would come after them if they let it finish Sonic, Sonic
might be able to defeat this thing without any help from the Freedom Fighters,
Kenal would rescue Snively and save Sonic...but they all seemed hollow. In the
end, she could either keep firing and almost certainly doom Kenal, or stop and
almost certainly doom Sonic.
And Sonic was more than a friend.
She said nothing, and kept firing. Sonic would live; Kenal would not.
******
Sailing inside a corridor of laser bolts, Kenal slowed down only after entering
the hole in Mecha-Snively's side. Quickly ducking into some dead space to get
out of the lasers' way, he began clawing a path to where he had seen the heat of
Snively's body on Nicole's screen. Far more accurate than the Freedom Fighters
given his much closer range, he reached his former master over a minute before
the lasers would have.
Snively had not been roboticized in the usual sense. A few wires lead into the
unconscious human's skull, but for the most part, the robot seemed to have been
constructed around him. Kenal quickly cut Snively free of the robot.
Packbell had never expected anyone other than Snively to be at this location,
and Snively would have a far more intimate connection to the robot than most
intelligences - artificial, roboticized, and otherwise - had with machines they
piloted. Thus, he did not bother to put in a panel saying "CONTROL OFF-LINE,
SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED". He just rigged the robot to blow up immediately if
Snively was unable to control Mecha-Snively.
******
Cheers went up as Mecha-Snively exploded. Sally fought back tears long enough
to do one more scan. She adjusted her aim, fired once, and hit something on top
of Robotropolis's command center over a kilometer away.
With a shimmer, Robotropolis's shield disappeared.
Several of the Freedom Fighters turned to congratulate Sally on her aim, only to
find her curled in a ball, crying into her legs.
No one said anything as Bunnie picked up Nicole from where Sally had dropped it,
then replayed its last few scans.
Dulcy peered over Bunnie's shoulder. "Was he...?"
"In there for half a minute before it blew. And she knew."
Rage and grief warred in Dulcy's mind as what Bunnie had not said sunk in.
Eventually, unable to contain herself and afraid that she might lash out at the
others, Dulcy sprang into the air and took off.
Bunnie grabbed Sally's head with her robot hand and forced her to see Bunnie's
mask of rage. "Why didn't you TELL US?" she screamed.
"Because..." Sally fought back sobs long enough to speak. "...I...couldn't
bear losing Sonic..."
When Sonic ran to where he had seen the laser fire coming from, he found Sally
alone, and abandoned.